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Make It Four Straight!

04/24/2013, 10:15am CDT

By Alec Schimke

MacIntosh was named the Week #16 Transition Player of the Week

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – For the fourth consecutive week – and fifth time in six weeks – Minnesota Swarm transition player Jordan MacIntosh has been named the NLL’s Transition Player of the Week. MacIntosh finished the season with a league-high six Transition Player of the Week awards, and as a team, Minnesota ranked first with 17 NLL Player of the Week awards.

MacIntosh, 23, set a new franchise record for most loose balls in a single game with 24 against Colorado last Saturday at The Hive. The Oakville, Ontario native also added four points (1g, 3a) and won at least 22 faceoffs for the third consecutive game after going 22-for-34 (64.7%).

“Jordan has a knack for being in the right spots at the right time,” Swarm associate general manager and head coach Joe Sullivan said. “He’s gotten the loose balls consistently over the last few months and that’s been a major factor in us gaining momentum in games.”

MacIntosh finished the 2013 season with a team record 197 loose balls, which ranked second in the NLL, as well as a franchise-high 241 faceoff wins, good enough for fourth best in the league. MacIntosh’s win percentage in the faceoff circle (55.5%) was also a team record for players with at least 400 faceoffs taken in a single season. On offense, MacIntosh was just as effective, as he notched a career-high 55 points (27g, 28a) and recorded two five-goal performances this season.

“Jordan hasn’t peaked yet, and he has a drive to be better and an edge to him that isn’t seen in a lot of players,” Sullivan said. “He’s a real student of the game; he studies his opponents and understands what their tendencies are. It’s been great to see him get recognized by the league this season, and you can’t teach the kind of things that he’s been doing on the field.”

The Swarm’s (7-9) East Division Semifinal contest against the Toronto Rock (10-6) from Air Canada Centre will be broadcast live locally on FOX Sports North PLUS this Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.

This weekend’s matchup between No. 4 seed Minnesota and No. 1 seed Toronto marks the first time that the two will have met in the playoffs. Due to the NLL’s crossover rule, the Swarm will start the postseason in the East Division this year. The crossover rule allows the fifth place West Division team to take the place of the fourth place team from the East Division if the fifth place team has a better record.

Sunday’s matchup can also be seen on TSN2 in Canada and will be streamed live on YouTube.com/TLN in the U.S. and outside Canada.